The couplet that was translated but not explained
In the poetry section, a 6-mark question asks candidates to explain the couplet بِقَدْرِ الْكَدِّ تُكْتَسَبُ الْمَعَالِي / وَمَنْ طَلَبَ الْعُلَا سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِي and to name one rhetorical device with its effect. A candidate writes a literal Urdu paraphrase: 'محنت کے بقدر بلندیاں حاصل کی جاتی ہیں، اور جو بلندی طلب کرے وہ راتوں کو جاگے.' For the device she writes only 'تشبیہ' and draws a line under it. The teacher's key gives 3 marks for explanation, 2 for device with effect, and 1 for appreciation. The candidate's Urdu is clear and her translation is accurate, but she has not shown how the second line supports the first, nor why 'سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِي' is not a literal sleepless night. The teacher must decide whether this is a 3/6 or 4/6 answer and what feedback will improve the next attempt.
1. Give a 50-60 word Urdu/Hindi explanation of the couplet that would earn the 3 explanation marks.
Read the worked answer
Model explanation (Urdu, 50+ words): شاعر کہتا ہے کہ بلند مقام اور کامیابی صرف خواہش سے نہیں ملتی؛ انہیں محنت کی مقدار کے مطابق حاصل کیا جاتا ہے۔ جو شخص بلندی چاہتا ہے، اسے راتوں کی نیند چھوڑ کر محنت کرنی پڑتی ہے۔ دوسرا مصرع پہلے مصرع کی دلیل ہے: محنت اور بے خوابی ہی کامیابی کا راستہ ہیں۔
Why this earns the 3 explanation marks: it states the central claim (success is proportionate to effort), explains the condition (whoever seeks high rank must work through the night), and shows the link between the two lines (the second supports the first). A literal one-line paraphrase gives the sense of each line separately but not the argument.
2. Identify the rhetorical device and explain its effect. Why is 'تشبیہ' an inadequate answer?
Read the worked answer
Device: كِنَايَة (metonymy), not تَشْبِيه. 'سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِي' literally says 'he stayed awake the nights', but the intended meaning is sustained hard work and sacrifice. The effect is to make an abstract idea concrete and emotional: the reader sees the sleepless nights rather than merely hearing about effort. There is also a مُقَابَلَة between الْكَدّ (effort) and الْمَعَالِي (high ranks), and between طَلَبَ الْعُلَا and سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِي.
Why 'تشبيه' is inadequate: a تشبيه needs two explicit sides and a face of comparison (or at least a clear resemblance). Naming it without evidence does not explain how the image works. A full 2-mark answer should name the device, quote the words, and state the effect. Appreciation (1 mark): the couplet is didactic, universal, and concise; its power lies in the cause-effect structure and the concrete image of sleepless nights.
3. The candidate's answer is accurate but undeveloped. Award a mark out of 6 and justify it with the key.
Read the worked answer
Award 3/6. Breakdown: explanation 3/3 - accurate and complete; device 0/2 - 'تشبيه' is the wrong device and no effect is given; appreciation 0/1 - absent. The candidate has understood the meaning but has not analysed the artistry.
Justification: the key allots 2 marks for device plus effect; a bare label, especially a wrong one, cannot earn either. Feedback formula: 'device + quoted words + effect'. For appreciation, use three prompts: What is the theme? What is the tone? What one technique makes it memorable? Next-step drill: give three couplets and ask only for device + effect in one sentence each; this separates the skill from translation.